Hein’s campaign chest dips slightly, but funds also pour in

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein has chipped away at his significant campaign war chest but mostly made up for it through heavy fundraising, according to a July campaign filing.

Hein’s campaign account, Friends of Mike Hein, dolled out $53,771.10 of the $103,349.46 it started with since January, according to the state Board of Elections disclosure reports that can be found here. But Hein also made up for a good amount of that spending by raising $47,895, leaving him with $97,473.36 left in his account.

The heavy spending is a big change for Hein since his last January filing, where he only reported dolling out $505. 18.

On the expenditure side, a big chunk of Hein’s dollars, $46,900, went towards towards two companies: SKDKnickerbocker, LLC and Stiles Partners, LLC.

From April to July this year, Hein gave $34,900 to SKDKnickerbocker. It was to run his PAYGo NY initiative, said Hein. The PAYGo initiative has Hein traveling across the state to talk to municipalities in fiscal stress, gather their best ideas and address unfunded mandates and the rising cost of those services, said Hein.

SKDKnickerbocker is a political consulting firm that has bases in Washington D.C., New York City and Albany. On their website, they credit themselves with “advising from formation to victory New Yorkers United for Marriage, the coalition put together to pass same-sex marriage in New York State.” They also credit themselves for helping Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, with beating Republican incumbent Nan Hayworth.

Hein has also laid out $12,000 to Manhattan-based Stiles Partners, LLC since April to help keep his campaign funds from dipping too low. Stiles Partners, created in 2007 according to state records, is run by Kristian Stiles. She and her firm may best be remembered as doing fundraising for former governor Elliot Spitzer until his governorship imploded under a prostitution scandal.

On the fundraising side, Hein received $36,620 from individual donors, $8,030 from corporations and $3,245 from PACs, unions and other LLCs.

In two payments, $3,000 coming from local venture capitalist Sean Eldridge of Shokan and $1,000 more came from his husband Christopher Hughes. Hughes is the multi-millionaire co-owner of Facebookand owner of the New Republic. Eldridge has also laid out $10,000 to SKDKnickerbocker for media consulting services in the last few months as he studies a run against Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, in the 19th congressional district.

Most of Hein’s smaller, individual donations came from the Ulster County area, with a few larger donations coming from Brooklyn and Scarsdale residents.

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James Nani

Covering Kingston and Ulster County Government.Been at the Record since August 2011.
Tips: 845-340-4910 jnani@th-record.com Read Full